One of the best breakfast dishes in Ecuador is a Bolón recipe made with unripe green plantains and cheese. I prefer bolón mixto, which includes a bit of pork. In Ecuador, a traditional bolon mixto is made with chicharrón, but in my bolon recipe I use smoked rib meat. Bolon is a hearty breakfast comfort food, and along with Ecuadorian tigrillo, it’s a great way to cook green plantains.
Bolon Recipe Ingredients
2 banana-sized GREEN PLANTAIN
CHEESE ½ cup white cheese, cubed
ONION ¼ cup, chopped
2 cloves GARLIC finely chopped
OIL for cooking
SALT to taste
other seasonings
as desired…
I like a little
HOT PEPPER
and a little leftover MEAT, cubed (recommended!)
How to Make Bolon
Use unripe, green plantains for this bolon recipe; it’s a very starchy ingredient, and green plantain can be used as a substitute in many potato recipes. This recipe is ideal for two hearty servings.
- First, get a pot of salted water on the boil.
- Peel your green plantains and slice into ½ inch pieces.
- Add sliced plantain to the boiling water, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the plantain is tender enough to easily pass a fork into.
- While the plantain simmers, chop the onion, cube white cheese, and cube a little pre-cooked meat to add later. You only need a little meat for flavor, maybe a ¼ cup; it’s optional, but highly recommended. If you’re in a meat-free mood, just leave it out and add more cheese.
- Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and add in the chopped onion and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add in the meat and garlic and continue to saute.
- Add salt to taste and any other desired seasoning. I like a little dried hot pepper.
- Remove the cooked plantain from the pot, reserving some of the water.
- Mash the plantain, and then add it to the skillet with onion and meat and seasonings. Mix ingredients together well. Add a bit of the reserved water if needed, but not too much.
- Remove mixture from the skillet into a bowl.
- When plantain mixture is cool enough to handle, add in the cubed cheese and mix by hand, then form the mixture into balls, aka bolones. Now you’ve got bolones ready to fry and eat whenever you like.
- To fry, simply heat a little oil in a skillet on medium heat and turn the bolones in the skillet until fried to your liking. I love to serve this bolon recipe with a fried egg and avocado.
For another tasty green plantain dish, try this Ecuadorian Tigrillo Recipe. And find many more recipe ideas on our Plantain Video Recipe Playlist.
What’s Healthier, Plantain or Potato? I found a potato vs. plantain nutrition article here that’s informative and easy to digest.
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